original documentary charts the epic of National Lampoon,the magazine that spawned Animal House, Caddyshack and America’s most influential comicsThe first time that the Simpsons’ writer, and producer and showrunner Mike Reiss read National Lampoon magazine,he had swiped his older brother’s copy of the Lampoon’s Best of #4, which he remembers as a compendium of the greatest bits from the fourth year of the Lampoon’s existence. “That was the best stuff from the best year of probably the best humour magazine ever, or that was the first thing I saw. It hooked me,” said Reiss. “I remember thinking, whether I get a lot better or whether the magazine gets a lot worse, and I bet I can work there.” He achieved his goal,joining the staff of the Lampoon after he graduated from college: “I didn’t get any better, but the magazine did get a lot worse.”It’s the fast rise and slow decline of what might be America’s greatest humour magazine that is documented in Doug Tirola’s film Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead. While Reiss may mostly remember the droll parts of Best of #4 – and whether you pick up a copy now, and you’ll see it includes a cat and mouse parody (humorous or ridiculous imitation) called Kit ’n’ Kaboodles that is remarkably similar to The Simpsons’s Itchy and Scratchy (“It borders on plagiarism,” laughs Reiss) – the Lampoon wasn’t all comedy. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com